First Female CEO of Nepal Anupama Khunjeli

For Anupama Khunjeli, it all began with a junior level position at the Standard Chartered Bank some three decades ago. A fresh graduate in commerce, she saw banking as the logical and stable career in Nepal at a time when female folks had a minimal representation in the corporate sector. For Khunjeli, however, it was not about professional or financial independence, but more about learning, new experiences and personal growth. Which is probably why, at Standard Chartered, she not only grew as a person but also in ranks, getting two double promotions and a prominent position at the bank’s Treasury. By the time she left Standard Chartered, she was an entirely different person - an expert in the global banking, a successful banking strategist, and above all, an empowered Nepali woman. After a short stint at Nabil where she not only helped establish a new company, Nabil Invest, but also helped the bank grow into the most profitable bank in Nepal then, Khunjeli went on to acquire an Executive MBA degree on top of her class despite her maturity in age and years she had already spent in her line of profession.With the graduate degree on her name, she no more faced any impediments in her professional growth. She then left Nabil Bank for Mega Bank, an innovation in Nepali banking sector when it first opened its doors eight years back, with an ambition to help a startup bank grow into a national level A-class financial institution that solely works for and on behalf of middle class Nepalis. At Mega, Khunjeli not only found an opportunity to implement all the lessons she had learnt all her life but also lead the staff, design the system and achieve the vision of the bank in a spectacular manner.As a result, she has now been propelled to the prestigious position of a CEO at Mega Bank for next four years. And, that has suddenly brought her into the public limelight as the first female CEO of an A-class bank in Nepal. Not that she has not already gained prominence in Nepali banking industry, but now she has been hailed as a role model and an exemplary lady for all Nepali female